Honda production associates left their shift at the East Liberty Plant this
morning having finished production of the first U.S.-made Honda CR-V, an all-new
version of one of America's most popular sport utility vehicles.Sixty
units of the CR-V - all them in the color Nighthawk Black Pearl - rolled off the
same East Liberty assembly line where Honda associates also build the Honda
Civic Sedan and the Honda Element SUV."We're proud that our associates
can build three distinctly different vehicles on a common assembly line with
Honda's commitment to quality," said John Pleiman, plant manager and vice
president of Honda of America Mfg. Inc. "Their dedication has been a key
component of Honda's flexible manufacturing systems, which allow us to respond
quickly to market changes."Both shifts at East Liberty built the first
batch of CR-Vs, which began to take shape in the body welding shop. They emerged
from the paint shop on the first shift Monday and journeyed down the final
assembly line. The first model was driven off the line at 7:17 p.m. Eastern
time."Communication is the key part of making flexibility work on the
line," said associate Paula Wilson of Bellefontaine, who has worked at Honda for
22 years and is one of the original associates at the East Liberty Plant, which
opened in 1989.Roy Preston of Springfield, an original East Liberty
associate who has worked for Honda for 20 years, said: "This is the best start
we've had of any of the new models. We were more prepared for it, since our
plant has been flexible for so long."Flexibility also is a key attribute
of the nearby Marysville Auto Plant, where Honda builds the Accord Sedan, Accord
Coupe, Acura TL luxury sports sedan and Acura RDX luxury sport utility
vehicle."There was a considerable amount of teamwork around the world in
redesigning and manufacturing the CR-V. Here at East Liberty, our associates
were empowered to suggest process changes that made this vehicle fit in with the
Civic and Element," said Dave Skidmore, engineering project leader for the
CR-V.CR-Vs made at East Liberty come equipped with a 2.4-liter
four-cylinder i-VTEC engine produced 40 miles away at Honda's Anna Engine Plant
in western Ohio.Between 2003 and 2006, Honda has invested about $750
million to keep its Ohio operations as state-of-the art facilities. Honda's
total U.S. capital investment in research and development, design, manufacturing
and sales operations has risen to more than $8.5 billion since 1979, when the
company began U.S. manufacturing.The East Liberty Plant inaugurated U.S.
light truck production by Honda in Ohio when the Element went into production in
November 2002.The 2007 CR-V* goes on sale Thursday. The new crossover
vehicle has a dramatic new body structure. Under the aerodynamic look are safety
enhancements, including Honda's exclusive Advanced Compatibility Engineering
(ACE) body structure, six airbags launch
x431 v+, antilock brakes, pedestrian safety design and Vehicle Stability
Assist with rollover sensor.Honda of America Mfg. Inc. was established
in 1979 to build motorcycles, adding car production in 1982 Launch
CReader 6001. It's comprised of four manufacturing plants - the Marysville
Auto Plant, the East Liberty Auto Plant, the Anna Engine Plant and the original
facility, the Marysville Motorcycle Plant.Honda employment in Ohio
totals about 16,000. Major operations include Honda R